The home garden continues to be a popular venture for many homeowners in Texas. It has been said that one out of every three families does some type of home gardening, even in urban areas.

Site selection is important for having a successful garden. Many vegetable varieties require full sun with a deep, well-drained soil. A soil test is important to the success of a home garden. It takes the guess work out of what nutrients are present or lacking in the soil. Soil amendments may be added following the soil test report to ensure the vegetables receive the nutrients required to grow properly.

What can you do to improve your soil? To improve a clay soil, apply 1 inch to 2 inches of good sand and 2 inches to 3 inches of organic matter to the soil surface, turning this into the soil thoroughly.

Organic matter can also be added to sandy soil to improve soil conditions. Turn the soil to a depth of 8 inches to 10 inches. This helps prepare a good seed bed for your vegetable varieties. Amending the soil may be something that needs attention months before the planting of the vegetable varieties.

Home gardeners have many options on what vegetables to grow. Vegetable varieties can be found in gardening catalogs, online resources and at feed and seed stores to name a few. Suggested varieties can be found online at aggie- horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/veg_variety/select.php.

It may be helpful to group varieties according to rate of maturity so a new crop can be planted to take the place of another as soon as the first is removed. Plant tall-growing crops on the north side of the garden to avoid shading out low-growing crops. Crop rotation is important to minimize disease and insect infestations.

When planting vegetables, plant them as early in the spring and fall so the vegetables will grow and mature during ideal conditions. Some vegetables may be planted using seed while other vegetables may be planted using transplants. Mulching may increase yields, conserve moisture, prevent weeds and regulate soil temperature.

Frost can impact many vegetable varieties. The average last spring freeze date for the Tyler area is around March 15. The average first fall freeze date for the Tyler area is around Nov. 15, although these dates can vary from year to year two weeks or more either way. Our office also has copies of the vegetable planting dates for many commonly planted vegetable varieties. To receive a copy, contact our office at 903-590-2980.

Scout your garden for pests such as disease and insects. Early detection of a pest problem can prevent huge crop losses. Disease control is a preventative approach rather than an eradication procedure. Cool, damp conditions are conductive to foliage diseases.

Utilize integrated pest management, or IPM, in your pest control arsenal. IPM is a pest population management system that anticipates and prevents pests from causing damage. IPM is an ecological approach to pest control. IPM uses a combination of controls including pest identification, monitoring, biological, plant-resistant plants, mechanical, cultural and structural changes, and the judicious use of least toxic pesticides to control pests.

 

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.